The Taste of Something Stolen
by frangipani blossom
Summary: Some people steal kisses. Selina Kyle is a thief by profession, and she doesn't have time for this touchy-feely stuff - if anything, she kisses in order to steal. However, whenever Bruce Wayne gets involved, her current theft usually ends up being a little bit of both. A series of loosely connected one-shots.
1. Beginnings

**The Taste of Something Stolen**

 **Beginning**

It was Friday noon and seventeen-year-old Selina Kyle was observing the coming and goings of the Diamond District, Gotham's financial district, her green eyes scanning the crowd for a target. So what if she was swiping some business shark's wallets? They had their more than lucrative jobs to go to every day of their mundane lives - Selina, on the other hand, was going to be put out on the streets as soon as she was turning eighteen (not that the orphanage was a place she was gonna miss, but career opportunities were few and far between for an orphaned troublemaker from the East End - she was just making sure she had a financial cushion to fall back on when 'Day X' arrived.)

She had worked out a true and tested procedural method: with her backpack half open, she'd "accidentally" bump into her target (normally some boring middle-aged white man, as most of these suits were), the contents of her backpack would be sent flying across the ground, causing enough of a distraction for Selina to pick the (by now full on swearing) man's pocket - by the time her target had finished cursing her out, Selina had safely stowed away Angry White Man's money in her own pocket.

It wasn't exactly the most fun method, but the satisfaction of a job well done as well as the fruits of her labor made it worth it.

This had been going on quite successfully for a couple of weeks now; so successful in fact, that Selina was getting a little bored if she was being honest with herself. Which is why Selina had decided to switch it up a little today.

Her newest mark was just now exiting Wayne Enterprises, wearing a simple, but very expensive-looking black coat and a brooding expression on his face. He appeared to be around Selina's age and was already parading around the biggest companies in Gotham (the Rolex on his arm made it more than clear that he was not just some low-paid intern at WE) - the stark contrast between her own situation and Mr. Silver Spoon just affirmed Selina in her choice of a target: In a way, she was just leveling the playing field, if you really thought about it… She was simply… _redistributing_ all that wealth a little among their age group...

As an added bonus, he was actually pretty handsome, something that would make the execution of her exit strategy, should she have to fall back on it, a little more bearable...

After making sure that everything was ready for her little maneuver, Selina shouldered her backpack determinedly and headed for the rich kid; apparently deep in thought, he didn't seem aware of Selina gravitating closer and closer to him until - _WHACK_ \- they collided. Slightly stumbling backwards due to the force of their impact, Selina felt a strong, protective hand gripping her elbow - rich boy was actually making sure she wouldn't fall (a nice, if superfluous gesture, Selina registered.) The stacks of loose papers and pens Selina had stuffed into her backpack practically exploded all over the ground. Rich boy took a closer look at her although not to see who he was going to yell at, as Selina expected him to, but to determine if she was okay. She must have looked alright to him, as he quickly withdrew his hand from her elbow, shot her a apologetic look and then _went on to kneel down to gather her belongings_...

Selina quickly dropped to her knees as well, grabbing for the useless notes and pencils scattered everywhere, making sure to keep up appearances.

Rich boy handed her a stack of papers, an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going - did you just steal my wallet right now?"

The befuddled look on his face would have been amusing to Selina if this didn't mean that she had been caught red-handed.

Before she could make a run for it, rich boy's hand wrapped itself around her wrist - his grip this time a lot firmer than before.

"Give it back," rich boy said - no, _ordered_ ; it wasn't that Selina was surprised to find out that rich boy knew how to boss people around, but the authoritative tone in his voice, coupled with that steely look in his gray-blue eyes… it was a little unsettling.

But not enough to have Selina lose her composure; with a nonchalant shrug, she handed over rich boy's wallet - it was then that she noticed the letters _B_ and _W_ that were engraved in the fine leather and something heavy settled in her chest.

And yet, that still didn't keep her from getting her claws out instead of keeping her mouth shut:

"It's not like you can't afford it."

Rich boy countered her provocative glare with an intensity she hadn't been prepared for - it started off as a stern warning, but then turned into something more calculating, scrutinizing; she could feel his blue eyes scan every inch of her, taking note of her threadbare jacket and scuffed shoes.

As suddenly as it had come about, their staring contest ended.

"You're right," rich boy agreed calmly, opening his wallet to take out the bills inside - from what Selina could see, she would have assumed them to amount to about $500.

"I'd rather keep my wallet though - it's a birthday gift," rich boy told Selina sedately before holding the cash out, for her to take.

Selina just gave him a bewildered look. He was certainly the weirdest person she'd ever met. And his offer may be tempting, but she still had her pride:

"I don't accept handouts," she said simply, crossing her arms demonstratively.

Now it was rich boy's turn to be perplexed.

"You would have just snagged it if I hadn't noticed in time - but when I give it to you freely, you won't take it?"

"I'm not just some charity case you can throw your money at, just so that you can feel like the great benefactor," Selina replied disdainfully, "I'm not interested in money I haven't earned."

Rich boy seemed to consider her response earnestly. After a short moment of contemplation, he finally put his money back into his wallet and slipped it back into his coat pocket.

"Fair enough."

Selina arched an eyebrow. She really couldn't figure this guy out.

He gave her a shrug, "Well, don't let me keep you from _work_."

His sorry attempt at humor couldn't conceal the disapproval embedded in his words.

Selina knew that there was no reason at all why she should care about some entitled rich kid's opinion of her, but something about this guy just rubbed her the wrong way:

"Listen, Mr. High-And-Mighty: what I do is not so different from what all of these -" she gestured at the financial sharks roaming the plaza - "are doing here; at least I steal from the ones that can afford it."

Rich boy put up his hands in a defensive gesture.

"I didn't mean to be condescending and I'm not denying that you have a point about unethical business practices being a profound issue, especially in this city…"

He paused for a moment, then, an amused expression made its way unto his face:

"I guess I just don't know what you say to a pickpocket when they decide to get back to "work"; - Break a leg?"

Selina raised an eyebrow again.

"Does this look like a theater performance to you?"

Rich boy only shrugged, a hint of a smile on his lips, before giving it another try: "Good luck?"

Now Selina was truly offended.

"I don't need luck; I'm very good at what I do."

He stared at her, quirking an eyebrow.

"You _just_ got caught in the act," he pointed out incredulously.

Selina shrugged it off: "An outlier; doesn't count."

This time, a full-on smile played on his lips, "Oh, that's how it is?"

Selina couldn't help the pouty tone seep into her voice as she defended herself:

"People don't just offer to help someone that ran into them! Your stupid niceness ruined my plan."

"What was I supposed to be doing?" rich boy asked, his tone of voice indicating that he was both amused and curious.

Selina couldn't believe that anyone could be that clueless, but she still decided to spell it out for him: "Yell at me that I should look where I'm going - add in a couple of insults and you are golden."

"Even if I was the one who didn't pay attention?"

Selina rolled her eyes.

"Of course."

"Huh. I'll keep that in mind for future reference, so as not to ruin your plan the next time around."

Selina cocked her head to the side, the ghost of a grin on her face, "You really think I'm bold enough to attempt stealing from you again?"

Rich boy shrugged slightly, "You strike me as a very dauntless person," he said quite matter-of-factly.

Selina smirked, taking a deliberate step forward, invading his personal space, "I'll take that as a compliment."

Rich boy appeared to be taken aback by her action, but he didn't move away.

"It's just an observation," he said with a shrug, his voice wavering just the tiniest bit; but Selina knew that she was getting under his skin.

She tapped her chin in pretend thoughtfulness, her eyes glinting playfully.

"Hmh, there is an error in your reasoning, though."

Rich boy knitted his brows, "What erro-"

But before he could finish his question, Selina cut him off by drawing him in for a kiss. She must have startled him for good, because it took rich boy a few seconds until hes started to respond to her lips.

Before he got too comfortable, Selina broke off the kiss, a wicked grin now adorning her face.

"You assumed I'd use the same trick twice."

"Wha-"

His eyes flew to his coat pocket his hand fumbling for the fanciful engraved wallet. When rich boy finally managed to pry it out, a puzzled look appeared on his face.

"I still have my -"

When he looked up, Selina had already disappeared into the crowd.

"...wallet."

His eyes scanned the plaza, searching for that mysterious, brazen girl who had just tried stealing from, and had ended up kissing him right here in public - but he couldn't find her anywhere. With a curious feeling, he opened his wallet - to find that all the bills had been taken out.

Bruce couldn't help the amused smile growing on his face, as he pocketed the wallet Alfred had given him for his eighteenth birthday.

"Hmh. Bold indeed."

* * *

 **My first BatCat fic, so please let me know how you liked it! And Happy Holidays!**


	2. The Chase

**Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews and favorites! They really help me stay motivated to keep on writing - I hope you will like this new chapter as well :)**

 **The Chase**

Almost seven years passed until Bruce and Selina met again, even though neither of them was aware of that fact as they both were wearing masks at the time.

Selina was now 24 and clad from head to toe in gray: she was wearing a gray bodysuit, gray gloves, gray boots and a gray mask. That on its own wouldn't have been an usual outfit for a burglar (the 'occupation' she had graduated to after coming to the conclusion that pickpocketing wasn't an adequate long term solution). But that wasn't all there was to the clothes Selina was currently wearing: on top of the mask, two triangular ears protruded and whiskers had been added to the fabric covering Selina's cheekbones; in addition to that, a tail was attached to the backside of the bodysuit. All these parts, bizarre or not, were important for the ensemble, were important to make Selina more than just a random cat burglar - it made her "Catwoman".

A few years ago, the very notion of running around in an animal-themed costume while stealing from Gotham's elite would have been ridiculous to Selina - but now, over the course of the last few months, it had become apparent that if you wanted to be someone of consequence in Gotham, you needed a gimmick to set yourself apart from the slew of faceless, nameless criminals that infested Gotham like the mold in Selina's rundown apartment.

This entire trend had been started by some weirdo with a foible for justice and the color black - the "Batman", as the papers had been quick to dub the masked vigilante who was now prowling Gotham's rooftops. Mere weeks after the Batman's first appearance, small-time crooks were now already afraid of saying his name out loud, fearing that even whispering it would summon its possessor, as if he were a boogeyman.

Recognizing an effective branding strategy when she saw one, Selina was quick to jump on the bandwagon, fashioning herself the outfit she was wearing now on her current job.

"Just a little to the left and…," Selina whispered, ear pressed against the safe she was currently cracking, while carefully, methodically turning its dial. She could hear and feel the fence finally drop into the gates and… "There."

The safe was unlocked.

Selina opened the safe door: a very shiny, and very expensive collection of jewelry was inside. Well, that is, until Selina began putting the gems, necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets into the small, gray backpack she had brought with her.

Soon, the valuables were safely stowed away and the bag securely fastened on her back. Selina locked the safe again. On a first glance, no one would notice that it had been picked empty.

Feeling triumphant from another job well done, Selina snuck out of the penthouse.

She was perched on the balcony balustrade, internally debating whether she should immediately swing by Swifty's pawn shop and go straight home, or prowl the rooftops some more, to scout out the area for the next job, when she felt a presence behind her.

"You better put those back," a deep, raspy voice growled; it wasn't coming from inside the penthouse, but from the roof, and Selina immediately knew to whom it belonged.

 _Uh-oh_. She was in trouble.

Still, Selina wasn't someone who was easily intimidated.

She turned around and slipped back down on the balcony floor smoothly, now casually leaning against the railing she had been crouching on before.

This gave her a second or two to properly take in Gotham's boogeyman, the Batman: He was still standing on the rooftop of the building, towering over her; still, he wouldn't have needed the elevated ground to do so - Selina could see that he was very tall and broad-shouldered, with a long black cape enshrouding the rest of his body, gently blowing in the nightly breeze. The mask he was wearing almost covered the entirety of his face, with only an unsmiling mouth and a strong chin exposed. His eyes were glaring at Selina from behind ghostly white lenses.

Yes, Selina could see why the more fainthearted criminals would be afraid of the Bat - he definitely had that demonic, larger-than-life aura about him…Yet nothing Selina was going to let bother her.

"My, my… If that isn't the famous Batman, protector of Gotham - were all the big baddies too busy to play with you, that you decided to check in on little ol' me?" She asked nonchalantly, as if chatting with the Batman was part of her nightly routine.

"There is nothing little about the string of burglaries committed by the "Catwoman". You have been connected to at least fifteen break-ins this month alone, if not more."

Selina gave Batman a charming smile, theatrically putting a hand over her heart:

"Aww, despite your busy schedule, you still made the time to keep track of my work? I'm flattered, Bats, I really am." She then leaned forward conspiratorially and added in a stage whisper: "If you have been wondering if the Travers' theft was my doing - yes it was; so was the Vreeland job - so technically we're talking about seventeen cases this month. But I think it's cute that you've been giving me the benefit of the doubt," Selina concluded, winking flirtatiously at Batman.

The vigilante seemed taken aback by Selina's playful behavior; still, he kept up the rigidity he'd been displaying throughout their entire encounter.

"You're going to put these back and turn yourself in," he said stoically.

Selina couldn't help the snort that escaped her. Did he really think that this would work on her? Oh no, she wasn't going to make it easy for him; if he wanted to take her in, he'd have to play by her rules. Emphasis on play.

She gave Batman an impish smile: "Make me."

And without warning, in a matter of a second, Selina spun around, hopped on the balustrade and jumped.

She had cased the area thoroughly in preparation for the job and knew all the escape routes by heart. Before landing on the rooftop of the apartment building below her, Selina dove into a roll to lessen the impact, but keep her momentum and she quickly found herself on her feet again; she then ran to the edge of the rooftop and leapt to the next. Thrilled by her daring escape, Selina threw a look over her shoulder, ready to mockingly wave the Batman good-bye - only to discover, to her big surprise, that the masked vigilante was right at her heels, tailing after her!

Selina picked up her speed, zigzagging swiftly across the rooftops in an attempt to lose her shadow; she noticed that she was faster than him, but he proved to have good knowledge of the area and did well anticipating her movements, so he could work around the twists and turns Selina incorporated into her escape route. Numerous rooftops later, just when Selina was about to risk another glance over her shoulder to assess how close the Bat was behind her (she only knew that he was far too close for her liking, as she could hear his heavy, but still pretty regular breathing - he must be in amazing shape to be able to keep up with her like that, Selina registered with some excitement), when she felt a strong tug pulling her backwards and tripping her up; Selina stumbled and fell to the ground, only avoiding landing on her face thanks to years and years of gymnastic practice that instead had Selina tuck herself into a safety roll.

During the fall, all that filled Selina's mind was the realization that her godforsaken tail must have been her (literal) downfall and she swore to herself to screw aesthetics and get rid of that stupid tail asap…

Already slightly winded from the chase, and taken aback by the suddenness of her fall, Selina had underestimated her momentum and didn't end up back on her feet, but on her back, almost slamming into the HVAC unit set up on the rooftop. Before she could manage to scramble to her feet, Selina felt a heavy weight pinning her to the ground. The contents of her backpack pressed uncomfortably against her shoulder blades.

Turning her focus back on the heavy weight pushing her to the ground, Selina found herself face to face with Batman. To stop her from fleeing again, he had thrown himself on top of her, holding down her arms with a vise-like grip.

Selina noticed him immediately readjusting his position slightly, in a gallant effort to take off some of his weight off her while maintaining his secure hold of her - a gesture she very much appreciated: all that muscle mass and body armor of his certainly were heavy.

Still, chest still heaving from the chase, the adrenaline coursing through her veins and the chance to have some one-on-one time with the mysterious "Batman" - the sensation seeker in Selina was just having the time of her life.

"So that's how you make all the girls fall for you, huh?" Selina joked, smiling coyly.

Her remark was met with a stern look and a dry, raspy reply: "Only the ones with a loot worth of $100,000 strapped to their backs."

Batman's estimate of the goods was surprisingly accurate, Selina registered with some surprise; yet, she kept it cool, focused on keeping the playful banter going:

"Aw, and here I thought that I was special." She added a pout for dramatic effect.

Then, Selina quickly trapped Batman's right foot with her left and flipped the vigilante over, switching their positions. Batman's shoulder slightly banged into the HVAC unit Selina had scarcely missed before, causing him to harrumph disgruntedly on impact; his glare intensified.

"Oops," Selina said, completely unapologetic.

She had to admit, she was kind of enjoying the view of Gotham's "Dark Knight" trapped underneath her (for however brief that moment was going to last), and the flirty smile from before returned to Selina's face.

"Well this has been fun, don't you think?"

Another glare.

Unbothered, Selina continued conversationally: "We should do this again sometime."

Feeling Batman starting to strain against her hold, Selina knew she had to be quick: She leaned forward seductively, her lips startlingly close to Batman's face and she could feel him stop struggling for a moment, taken aback by her unexpected behavior.

Her voice was barely above a whisper, but she knew that she had captured his attention completely:

"In the meantime…. something to remember me by…"

Selina then closed the gap and kissed _him_ , the Batman, on the lips: first gently, then with some more urgency. His response was at first haltingly, but slowly grew more accommodative - then, all of a sudden, Selina broke off the kiss, jumped to her feet and started running, a wide smile on her face.

Although a little dazed by Catwoman's abrupt departure, Bruce was quick to get up and determined to follow her - when he suddenly found himself being pulled back to the ground again. Confused, Bruce looked behind him to realize that Catwoman had managed to wedge his cape in between the gaps of the HVAC unit, getting it snagged. By the time he had freed his cape, Catwoman was long gone.

Bruce stared into the distance with unseeing eyes, deep in thought.

Hmm… there would be a next time, she had said… And kiss or not, he definitely would not forget about this extraordinary encounter with the "Cat" any time soon…

In the meantime, he really should work on an emergency release for that cape…

* * *

 ** _Some information nuggets for those who are interested:  
\- Selina's costume here is pretty much what she wears in "Batman: Year One", except with the backpack inspired by her outfit in the Batman Telltale Games  
\- Swifty is the pawnshop owner featured in the story "Selina's Big Score" by Darwyn Cooke  
\- Travers and Vreeland are both people Selina has stolen from: Selina stole from Martha Travers in the very first Batman issue from 1940 and from Veronica Vreeland in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Cat Walk" _**


End file.
